For example, digital VTRs (Video Tape Recorders) and DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) players are used by connecting them to television sets for viewing and listening to images and audio played. Specifically, images and audio played by a digital VTR or the like are supplied to a television set, and the images are displayed on a screen, and the audio is output from a speaker.
As described above, when the television set outputs the images and audio played by the digital VTR, some of signal processing circuits included in the television set do not particularly perform processing.
In other words, for example, when a component signal is output from the digital VTR, a signal processing circuit for converting a composite signal into a component signal in the television set is not particularly required to perform processing and thus idle.
As described above, when the television set and the digital VTR are connected with each other, if a signal processing circuit included in the television set and a signal processing circuit included in the digital VTR cooperate in sharing the task of processing a signal such as an image or audio, a higher-quality image and audio can be offered to a user.
At the same time, for example, AV apparatuses such as the digital VTR, the DVD player, and the television set operate independently. In order to view/listen to images and audio played by the digital VTR and the DVD player, the digital VTR and the DVD player need to be connected to the television set.
In other words, the digital VTR, the DVD player, and the television set are generally provided with, at the back thereof, terminals, which are exposed to the outside, for receiving or outputting images and audio. Output terminals of the digital VTR and the DVD player and input terminals of the television set are connected with one another by predetermined cables, thus allowing images and audio played by the digital VTR and the DVD player to be output from the television set.
For example, when two AV apparatuses are connected with each other, three cables are required for images and audio from the L (Left) and R (Right) channels. Connecting the AV apparatuses with each other using cables is cumbersome. As the number of AV apparatuses to be connected with one another increases, so does the number of cables required for connecting the AV apparatuses with one another. Cable handling (arrangement, etc.) thus becomes complicated.